Lifestyle

Texas Named Top Road Trip Destination for the Summer

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Texas is the #2 state in the country for a road trip, according to a recent survey by WalletHub. They also found that a majority of families in the U.S. are planning to take road trips this summer, preferring to drive rather than fly as we all start to emerge from hibernation. The personal finance website’s data shows that 59% of families plan on driving trips instead of boarding an airplane, they found.

WalletHub found that Texas ranks second overall, with New York state #1 and Louisiana #3 on their list. Their recently released data shows how they arrived at this conclusion, with all 50 states ranked according to the following criteria:

Texas Road Trip

Texas Named Top Road Trip Destination for the Summer

Photo: Holt photo of Tall Ship Elissa in Galveston Harbor

Road Tripping in Texas (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
• 5th – Number of Attractions
• 4th – Lowest Price of Three-Star Hotel Room
• 3rd – Avg. Gas Prices
• 7th – Nightlife Options per Capita
• 19th – Vehicle Miles Traveled per Capita
• 12th – Access to Scenic Byways
• 9th – Driving Laws Rating

Top Ten Most Fun States

Texas Named Top Road Trip Destination for the Summer

Photo: Big Bend Chisos Lodge photo by Holt

Texas emerged as only the eighth-most Fun State to visit in the United States, in another WalletHub survey. These states are all ahead of us: California (#1), Florida (#2), Nevada (#3), New York (#4), Illinois (#5), Colorado (#6), and Washington (#7). As a proud Texan, I can grudgingly admit the “fun factor” to be found in such list leaders as California and Florida (think Disney and theme parks, and oceans).

Nevada is also easy to understand, since they have gorgeous desert and mountain vistas, plus glamorous nightlife in Las Vegas and Reno. Colorado is also a favorite destination for many of us for the terrific scenery and laid-back lifestyle that’s available there, plus snow skiing and other winter sports.

But with all the wonderful family entertainment Texas has to offer, I would move us up to #4 if it was my list. Texas has its own mountains, with the Chisos Mountain range in Big Bend National Park. There are miles of public beaches and resort towns on our Gulf of Mexico. As for theme parks, Six Flags Over Texas is in Arlington, near Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers new stadiums. The great State Fair of Texas jumps our Fun Factor even higher Sept. 24-Oct. 17 at Fair Park in Dallas.

Fun Factors

Texas Named Top Road Trip Destination for the Summer

Photo: State Fair of Texas

Here’s how Texas ranks in WalletHub: 1st – Restaurants per Capita; 1st – Movie Theaters per Capita; 17th – Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita; 1st – Amusement Parks per Capita; 12th – Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita; 4th – Fitness Centers per Capita.

Here are the WalletHub rankings for “fun” elements of the top 10 states. Categories include overall rank-state-total score-entertainment & recreation nightlife.

1 California 60.81 1 5; 2 Florida 58.09 2 8; 3 Nevada 56.24 4 1; 4 New York 55.61 3 4; 5 Illinois 53.71 5 3; 6 Colorado 49.14 6 11; 7 Washington 46.99 7 13
8; Texas 46.83 8 12; 9 Minnesota 46.82 9 7; 10 Pennsylvania 42.47 11 9.